Lincoln Mixed Use Building In Denver Features High Tech Prefab Curtain Wall

Denver-based Meridian 105 Architecture has proposed an interesting concept for a mixed use complex that includes a hotel, retail, a movie theater, and restaurants. High tech and energy efficient design are the basis for the design, relying on prefabricated window units that provide shading during the summer and afternoon along with integrated heating and cooling units. The aggressive energy strategy also relies on natural ventilation via the stack effect in the summer and an exterior solar wall to provide shading.

The mixed-use complex would comprise a 438 room hotel tower, retail space on the ground floor, restaurant space, plus 12 movie theaters that total up to 438,000 sq ft. Various circulation routes ease pedestrians through the space and an elevated pedestrian greenway is both green roof and an alternative pedestrian path through the heart of the building. Terraces and landscaping in and around the complex increase open green spaces and reduce heat island effect.

The major feature of the Lincoln Mixed Use complex is its aggressive energy strategy fully integrated throughout the building in order to minimize energy use for heating, cooling and lighting. Skylights and atrias located all through the retail space pull in natural daylighting and reduce electrical loads. The hotel’s facade employs specialized prefab window units instead of a curtainwall assembly to maximize energy use. The twin glazed assembly features fritted glass on the top and sides to minimize heat gain in the summer and late afternoon. Additionally each window unit features high efficiency vertical terminal air conditioners, a baseboard heating unit and roller shades.

The stack effect would be used to expel hot air up and out of the building during the summer while drawing cooler air in from below. An exterior solar shading wall integrated into the facade around the movie theater constructed from a series of metal panels provides both shading and heating. In the winter the panels help warm air, which is then transferred inside for heating, while in the summer, the panels provide shading to help keep the building cool.